


Family Bonds

by VelkynKarma



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Gen, Set in Season 1, cross-post from fanfiction.net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25228450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelkynKarma/pseuds/VelkynKarma
Summary: The brothers have a lot of talents, but one in particular stands out to Korra. Cross-posted from fanfiction.net, “Remastered” edition.
Relationships: Bolin & Mako (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 129





	Family Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> From Korra’s POV and set at the end of S1, but it’s really more about the brothers. Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net, this fic was originally posted in August 2012 for the Bromotions Week event for the prompt ‘Link.’ It's been cleaned up and updated, so consider it a 'remastered' edition. 
> 
> Note it was written when only one book of _Legend of Korra_ had been released, so it may not be canon compliant anymore with new information from later seasons...since I never actually watched them.

Korra never had any siblings growing up. 

She could sort of understand why. Having a toddler who could manipulate more than one element had to be a handful. Her parents often told her stories with fond exasperation of how often she’d wrecked their home accidentally with her overenthusiastic bending. They loved her for who she was as much as what she could do, and she loved them for it. Even so, having another kid on top of that definitely would have been difficult.

But that made it surprisingly entertaining for her to watch the odd quirks between Mako and Bolin whenever they interacted. She’d heard about brothers and sisters bickering one minute and understanding each other the next, but she’d never experienced it firsthand. Joining the Fire Ferrets opened her up to a whole new experience of familial interaction, once she got to know them a little better. 

Mako was definitely the more serious and reserved of the pair. When she first met him, _really_ met him and not just heard about him on the radio, Korra didn’t think he was capable of normal things like ‘fun.’ But Bolin, always positive and cheerful, had a knack for softening his older brother up, or drawing him into sibling antics. They balanced each other well—Mako never let Bolin get into too much trouble, and Bolin nudged his brother into acting like an actual human being with feelings. 

It wasn’t a dynamic Korra got to see a lot of, at first. It took a little bit to realize Mako’s aloof, unimpressed act was a carefully cultivated persona for strangers. Bolin was just as friendly as always, outgoing and fun and delighted with meeting new people. His genuine awe and excitement at meeting the Avatar had been a breath of fresh air, considering not many people that she’d met so far wanted her in Republic City. But his brother remained reserved and cautious for a while, even around his younger sibling. Helping Mako save Bolin from the Equalists finally broke the ice a little, at which point she was rewarded with something she hadn’t expected: seeing how the two of them _really_ interacted, as a team of siblings.

And they definitely did all the things she’d heard about, or witnessed here and there. They got along pretty well, for the most part: fooling around, play-fighting, swapping stories and jokes, teasing each other good-naturedly. Bolin naturally gravitated towards touch as a means to interact with people, and constantly handed out hugs or an arm around the shoulder or pats on the arm like they were going out of style. Mako rarely initiated anything similar. But he never so much as batted an eye when Bolin drew him into a half hug to regale him about his exciting day or the new dumpling stand he’d found, so he was obviously comfortable with his little brother’s antics.

Things weren’t always perfect with them. They would occasionally get into arguments—often about stupidly laughable things—or give each other the cold shoulder, or shove each other around a bit. Mako could be harsh about what he felt were stupid situations Bolin got himself into. Bolin would get frustrated when he didn’t feel his older brother took him seriously. But it never lasted long, and both of them were usually quick to forgive the other. Korra always got the impression that even the stupid points of contention between the brothers weren’t really solid enough to break the bond they had...even if occasionally she wanted to smack their heads together to speed up the process.

They cared about each other deeply. It wasn’t hard to spot even from the first day Korra met them, but the longer she knew them, the more impressed she was with _how_ deep their bond went. She didn’t think she would ever understand just how much Mako had put himself through on the streets to protect Bolin, but she knew every choice he’d made had been out of love for his younger sibling. And Bolin trusted Mako unconditionally and implicitly, in such a way that anyone else might have called it naive and foolish, but that Korra knew was more powerful than anyone could understand, forged pure as platinum and unbendable. 

It was interesting to watch. It was an impressive kind of bond, something she had never experienced before. But by far the strangest thing she observed with the two of them was the odd connectivity they had....an unusual ability to communicate and coordinate without words, in almost any given situation.

She first noticed it during their pro-bending matches. The three of them would practice plays and coordinate offenses and defenses, under team captain Mako’s sharp eye, during their training slots in the gym. But in a real match, inevitably something would happen in the ring to throw the moves off, and then it was all up to improvisation to make sure you made it through the round. 

Mako and Bolin seemed to improvise shockingly well with each other. They covered each others’ backs easily as though they’d practiced the moves until they were ingrained in muscle memory, when Korra _knew_ they’d never used those forms before. Bolin would duck just in time for Mako to kick a fiery bolt right over his head, mere inches from singeing his hair, to take down an opponent preparing for earth and not flames. A water whip would strike at Mako’s side, and he wouldn’t even bother to dodge, while Bolin almost casually stomped a disc up from the ground to shield his brother. 

“That was amazing!” Korra would say enthusiastically, after every match. “Man, how did you guys know how to do that at just the right moment?”

To which the brothers would inevitably exchange glances, shrug, and answer, “I don’t know. We just _knew._ ”

Which really wasn’t the answer Korra wanted, and she would always press for a better explanation. It was hard to learn that level of synergy with them for the matches if they couldn’t even tell her how they did it. The brothers had yet to be able to give her a good response, which was _intensely_ frustrating. She eventually chalked it up to combat instinct and left it at that.

But she started realizing that the brothers’ bizarre connection extended beyond just the pro-bending ring. It first became obvious to her when Mako found her on Air Temple Island, not too long after she’d joined the team, asking if Bolin had come by. When she’d answered no, his slightly relaxed demeanor immediately shifted to one of anxiety, and the next thing she knew she was helping him hunt down his brother. 

While heading to the mainland she’d asked him again why he was so sure Bolin was in trouble, and not just out getting a bowl of noodles or hanging out at the park. Mako’s only response had been, “Something just doesn’t seem right. I’ll just feel better when I find him.” Not long after that they’d unearthed the information that Bolin was about to get caught in a turf war, and later that he’d been caught by the Equalists. Mako’s instinct had been right after all.

Even then Korra would have chalked it up to coincidence. Except once she started to know them better, and knew what to look for, it became clear it wasn’t the only time the brothers seemed to instinctively know when something was wrong with the other. They didn’t even need to be together at the time. They just _knew._

Like the time when Mako had taken a double-shift at the power plant generating lightning. He’d ended up giving himself a mild fever from too much advanced firebending in too short a time. Bolin had been visiting Korra on the island that day, but he’d become inexplicably anxious for no reason at all. He’d returned home early, only to find his brother passed out on the couch after he’d made himself sick. 

It was like some kind of strange, sibling sixth sense. Mako always seemed to know when his brother was feeling depressed, and knew exactly which one of Bolin’s haunts to track him down at in order to bring him home. Bolin returned the favor by cheering up his older brother when Mako grew anxious or frustrated over financial troubles, drawing him back out of his reserved shell. It was like they were _connected_ on some level, and Korra really wasn’t sure what to make of it.

And once she noticed that, it was like the evidence just wouldn’t stop coming. 

Whenever Korra got ready to head off and deal with Amon’s cronies alone, the two of them would exchange quick glances before instantly double-teaming her on why her ideas _weren’t_ good ones. It was like they had entire conversations with a simple glance, a raised eyebrow, or a slight twist to the mouth, and they knew how to back each other up in almost any argument. Bolin’s cheerful reminders that she wasn’t alone and they were a team were perfectly supplemented with Mako’s common sense and caution. Inevitably they ended up doing things the brothers’ way instead, unless Korra employed all of her stubbornness. 

_That_ was when she first started finding that weird link annoying. Two against one just wasn’t fair, damn it. Especially when they did it like pros.

Though admittedly it _was_ amusing to watch them use those same skills on others, to great effect. When they started hunting the streets of Republic City as Team Avatar, Korra and Asami got more than one laugh out of watching the boys run circles around nosey citizens and even the occasional metalbending officer. Speeding around the city in a fancy Satomobile after Equalists inevitably drew attention. But the brothers had ways to deal with it, whenever anybody inquired a little too much into why they were loitering on the streets listening to police scanners, or careening down roads maybe just a _touch_ over the city’s speed limits. The brothers would inevitably give the questioner an observant once-over, exchange one of those conversation-glances, and begin feeding them stories to get Team Avatar out of trouble. 

Bolin inevitably fielded all of the especially suspicious types and the officers. His innocent look and genuinely friendly behavior always put them at ease as he explained their concerns for bending relatives, or the rush to get home before dark so they wouldn’t be out when Equalists attacked. 

Mako handled the more nervous and gullible types. Although he was never anything less than polite, his no-nonsense tone and indifferent attitude as he explained that they were undercover cops, or hinted at connections to any number of Triads, usually put the curious off. The questioners inevitably scurried away, unwilling to get in over their heads. 

Whatever the case, each brother backed up the main speaker’s pack of lies with instant, believably delivered lies of their own. And although each story was different, Korra was amazed at how easily the two kept track of them, without once getting caught in the mess. 

“Where did you guys _learn_ this stuff?” Korra asked once, as soon as Asami was allowed to pull away—exactly at the speed limit—from a no-longer-suspicious officer. Mako directed her to take the wrong turn and double back along a side street, so they could head in the direction of the latest distress call while not attracting the officer’s attention again.

“Around,” was Mako’s curt not-really-an-answer, and “Well, we sort of had to pick it up,” was Bolin’s oddly quiet one. It was enough for Korra to put together that it was a skill learned on the streets. She didn’t push further. But it started to make her wonder if maybe, just maybe, that strange link the brothers had was born out of necessity, and not just blood. 

She was definitely sure of it when Asami told her about the sneezing scam Mako and Bolin had effortlessly pulled on their metalbender guard, back when they’d first discovered her father’s alliance with Amon. A skill like that wasn’t developed just for fun. They’d both known exactly what to do to turn the situation to their advantage and make their escape, and had worked together perfectly to make it happen.

And it wasn’t the only time, either. When they’d been hiding below the streets, Mako and Bolin had adjusted to the new life instantly. They had worked together seamlessly to keep the place hidden, to trick or distract threats away from the area, or even just keep some of the homeless kids entertained with their back-and-forth antics. 

It wasn’t really hard to figure out where they’d learned to use minor earth and firebending tricks to subtly trip up threats, superheat metals to keep enemies from approaching, hide evidence of living, blind or startle opponents, or simply as an additional tool for smooth-talking their way into our out of something. Nor was it surprising they knew how to make their situation a little more livable, insulating the underground shantytowns and creating earth shelters, or burning off the dampness and the chill that always seemed to be present. But neither of the boys liked to talk about it much, and Korra didn’t press them.

But the final straw came after the whole mess with Amon was over with and her bending was restored, during their visit to the South Pole. Korra spent a day taking the brothers on a tour of some of the surrounding tundra, since neither one had ever been out of the city before, and both had been stunned by so much open land. They’d paused to watch a small gathering of arctic fox-hares foraging a little ways away, when Mako abruptly said, “Don’t even think about it, bro. Besides, how would Pabu feel?”

Bolin gave his brother a sheepish look. “I figured they could be friends—well, you’re probably right.”

“He didn’t even say anything,” Korra said, bewildered by the casual exchange. “Or _do_ anything. How the hell do you know what he was _thinking?_ ” She gave Mako a scrutinizing, suspicious look.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just knew. Older brother instinct?”

She threw up her hands. “I don’t get it!” she finally said. “This sibling thing, it makes no sense! You guys know what the other one is always doing, you talk by just looking at each other, and now you hear each others’ thoughts! Why don’t you just start finishing each others’ sentences already?”

The boys exchanged _that look,_ the one Korra was starting to recognize all too well. Even if she still couldn’t figure what they were saying with it, she _knew_ that she was about to lose, somehow. 

Then Mako gave a very tiny smirk. “I suppose we _could,_ ” he began.

“But people tend to find that annoying,” Bolin added brightly, with a huge grin on his face. 

“Of course, if the _Avatar_ says we can—”

“—then we might as well—”

“—since it’s really not a smart idea to piss off the master of all elements—”

“—especially when the stories are pretty clear on how that’s a bad idea!”

Korra scowled at them as they laughed, and proved just how much of a _bad idea_ it was to piss off an Avatar by shoving them both in a snowbank.


End file.
